Kayaker search off Aberdeenshire coast treated as 'false alarm'

A search for a kayaker off the Aberdeenshire coast sparked by a distress call is currently being treated as a false alarm.

A search and rescue helicopter, three lifeboats and shore-based coastguard teams were involved in the operation on Saturday.

A scaled-down search resumed on Sunday morning. However no-one was reported missing.

Coastguards said it was being treated "as a false alarm at this stage".

Coastguard duty controller Matt West said: "There are no plans to resume this search unless further information comes forward.

"If we get an emergency transmission we always treat it as real.

"If we think someone's in danger or in trouble we will always search for them rather than risk loss of life."

He added: "If this does turn out to be a hoax, we would take this opportunity to remind people that making deliberate, false or misleading calls is against the law and we treat it very seriously."